Amalia Dillin Interview

Amalia is a lover of mythology and weaves fantasy tales in that genre.The following is an interview I conducted with her...

First off, tell us a little bit about you!

My name is Amalia Dillin, and the first thing people should know about me is that I love mythology, particularly Norse and Greco-Roman, and particularly-particularly Thor. On the more personal side, I am married to the fabulous El Husband, and he is as big a history nerd as I am, so that works out pretty well.

Tell us about your books/What genre do you consider your books? I write fantasy! My Fate of the Gods series is heavily myth-based and follows Adam, Eve, and Thor through history from Creation to the modern day (and beyond), answering the question: What if ALL the gods were real? I’ve always wanted to explore that idea, and fit all these different myths together like puzzle pieces, so it’s been a blast to write. Especially with Thor as one of my protagonists. He’s an amazing character, really complex in the myths!

When did you start writing? I’ve been writing full-time for the last 4-5 years or so, and I can’t imagine doing anything else at this point, but I started writing in the first grade. I wrote a lot of Star Wars fanfiction in elementary school – inserting myself and my cat as the heroes, of course – and things just progressed from there. I don’t remember ever not wanting to write. FORGED BY FATE is my debut, and FATE FORGOTTEN, book two in the Fate of the Gods series, releases November 5th!

Why do you write? Writing is kind of how I make sense of the world and myself. Fate of the Gods, in particular, was a journey of self-discovery for me. It helps me to synthesize the things I’ve learned, and even just get a sense of history and realize and understand “these people were people, just like us.” A lot of times, we get this big overview of history or cultural/sociological/political issues, but writing lets me break things back down to a more personal, individual level to make it relevant and understandable to me.

What would be your choice for a superpower? Oh, no question, it would be the ability to communicate with animals. (I spent a lot of time thinking about this as a kid!) I love animals, and I really wish I could get inside their heads and just understand what they understand, know what they know. Can you imagine what an Elephant might be able to tell us? Or a Blue Whale? The things they’ve seen and experienced. It would be awesome.

Who is your favorite author? Um. I really, really love Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, and Lois McMaster Bujold. I think those are my top three right now. I can’t pick just one of them.

Who is your favorite character to write (duh)

? Thor, because God of Thunder who is beloved by the everyman? What’s not to love! But he’s followed closely by Adam, who is something between an antagonist and an anti-hero, depending on where he’s living in history.


What advice would you give to an aspiring author? Keep writing. Write every day. Create a habit out of it, so that when you’re sitting at your computer and you’re not writing, it feels weird. The more you write, the easier it becomes!

What inspired you to pursue writing? My brother liked to write, and he was pretty much my hero. But also I love reading, and I loved imaginary play as a kid, and had a lot of imaginary friends, and it was kind of natural for me to just keep exploring these stories I loved and then invent more of my own.

What are your favorite TV shows/Movies to watch in between writing? I’ve really been enjoying Marvel’s Iron Man, Avengers, Thor (of course), also the Star Trek reboot is one of my all time favorite movies. Star Wars, the original trilogy, of course! For TV shows, honestly, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is maybe the best show I’ve seen in years. It’s just fantastic.

What are your current projects? We’re in the process of edits on book three of the Fate of the Gods series, BEYOND FATE, and I’ve got a novella about Athena in the back of my mind. Unrelated to Fate of the Gods, I’m working on a more traditional fantasy novel about an Orc and a Princess, which I’m hoping to publish Spring 2014.

Definitely keep an eye on my blog for more information about the Fate of the Gods series and my work in general – http://blog.amaliadillin.com – and I’m on twitter, too, as @AmaliaTd.



Quick Fire:
Cats or dogs?
Cats AND Dogs.

Coffee or tea?
Herbal Tea, if I must.

Favorite food?
Mom’s Spaghetti and meatballs!

Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream?
Vanilla!

What are 3 things you never leave home without?
Pen, Paper, and an extra layer.

Laptop or desktop?
Laptop

Who are 3 famous people you would to hang out with?
Homer (of ancient Greece), Theseus (does that count? I mean he WAS famous, if not 100% historical), annnnnnnd Snorri Sturluson. I want to know what Norse myths he messed with and what myths he didn’t.

TV or Movies?
Movies!

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All Artwork and covers of my works by William J. Kenney

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